This invention relates to apparatus and methods of providing an actuated lid for a process chamber.
In many semiconductor-manufacturing processes, substrates are processed in a series of one or more phases. For example, substrates can undergo a pre-heating phase during which the substrate is heated to an initial temperature before the substrate is loaded completely into a processing chamber and processed with a prescribed heating cycle. To achieve the required device performance, yield, and process repeatability, the processing of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is strictly controlled inside a process chamber.
Generally, a process chamber has a chamber body enclosing components of the process chamber. The-process chamber typically maintains vacuum and provides a sealed environment for process gases during substrate processing. On occasions, the process chamber needs to be periodically accessed to cleanse the chamber and to remove unwanted materials cumulating in the chamber. To support maintenance for the process chamber, an opening is typically provided at the top of the process chamber that is sufficiently large to provide access to the internal components of the process chamber.
To support these conflicting requirements, a lid is used to help the process chamber to provide a sealed environment for the processing gases during substrate processing by mating with the process chamber and incorporating an elastomeric seal between the lid and the process chamber, and to allow access to the inner chamber. Typically, a lid provides access to the components inside the chamber, and shields the operator from exposure to high temperatures during system operation. The lid generally remains closed during most process steps unless the chamber is opened, for example, to perform a preventive maintenance chamber cleaning, thereby breaking the vacuum and bringing the chamber to atmospheric pressure. Certain lids are manually dismounted and removed from the chamber before the chamber can be accessed. In other cases, lid hinges connect the lids to the chambers, and these hinges typically include locking ratchets to prevent the lids from unintentional collapses or closures that can slam the lids into the chambers with great force.
Originally, the lids were small and were easily handled by operators. As the chamber size increases to handle larger substrates, the lids increase in size. At present, lids have become relatively heavy, making opening and closing of the lids relatively difficult. Further, when closing a large, heavy lid, it is difficult to properly align the lid to obtain a proper seal.